


Sea of Eden

by Shanoodle



Category: Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound
Genre: Feels, Spoilers, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 22:26:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4366547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shanoodle/pseuds/Shanoodle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ness heads off to confront the evil lurking in the back of his mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sea of Eden

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a birthday present for a good friend of mine.

Not even half an hour ago, I was walking past people-sized vegetables and blocky buildings that reached way up into the sky and never seemed to end. After I had woken up in this place, I saw my mother waiting for me with a plate of steak, Tracy and King at her side. I had seen snowmen I made that melted years ago, pictures from coloring books that were standing like signs, friends I made before and during my adventure. And I had seen people and monsters I fought along the way.

Master Belch was the first. He smelled just as bad as he did in the factory. When I saw him, I thought of beating his slimy face in, just like I did back then. It's not like he didn't deserve it for kidnapping the Mr. Saturns.

Despite knowing what he did though, the thought hurt. And with it, Magicant's colors turned from green to purple and brown. The same things happened for all the others.

"I still feel pain where you wounded me," a fish had told me. In my mind, his words repeated themselves over and over; even knowing a fish of all things had said them didn't help at all. And from then on, things started trying to kill me again.

\-------

A metal tentacle lies further head, coiled around itself. It looks like part of something much bigger, but there's nothing beneath the ground except empty space. Still, I raise my bat and walk toward it.

Somehow, dripping sounds echo from inside. And a puddle of greenish-brown water sits at the bottom of it -- not much different-looking from the swamp in the Deep Darkness. The tentacle doesn't move.

_Might as well make sure,_ I think. And gripping my wooden bat, I lift it over my shoulder and swing as hard as I can.

The wood clangs against it, but the tentacle doesn't even budge.

"What the heck are you?" I mutter.

And a message appears in my mind.

_Why are you fighting?_

The tentacle doesn't speak with a voice. Matter of fact, it feels like I'm thinking its question. I flinch, start backing off, then stop and shake my head. This is something I should be expecting by now, and even outside Magicant, I've seen stranger things.

The tentacle repeats itself, and I raise my eyebrows. Why is this thing giving me such an easy question?

"To stop Giygas," I say.

It doesn't do anything.

"To stop Giygas!"

Again, nothing.

I start pacing around the tentacle, my head down. If I said the wrong answer, it's not telling me. But what else could I say? Isn't Giygas the whole reason why I'm here? Why I left home?

I let out a groan. Right now, this tentacle's another roadblock -- not much different from the pencil and eraser statues. So the answer's either something stupid or something unnecessarily complicated. If I were a knight or a king or a magician with odd hair and a passion for love, what would I say?

At first, nothing good comes to mind; it's all dull as cardboard. But after a few circles around the tentacle, I smile and look up.

"I fight for a brighter future," I say. "I fight to protect everything I cherish -- my family, my friends, all the people I've never met, and every last blade of grass and flower on this beautiful planet!"

The tentacle uncoils and points straight toward the sky, glowing with a white light toward the sky. It starts making a noise -- quiet at first, but growing louder each second. It sounds like a bunch of people whistling at different pitches. The tentacle shudders, and red and blue light explodes out of it, covering the world and making everything disappear.

The light stings my eyes and the noise hurts my ears and I feel like if I don't cover them my head will explode and I just wanna go home why did I even listen to that stupid bee in the first place why am i falling please please please don't let me die i just--

I land with a splash in something hot and thick as tar. My mouth opens to scream, and I wind up inhaling tons of it and it's like I'm being burned from the inside-out.

Eyes still shut, I swim upwards, swinging and kicking my limbs until they hurt. I've closed my mouth, but the liquid still gets in my nose, and I have to hold back another scream.

My head emerges. Eyes open now, I bend my head over and cough mouthfuls of greenish-brown gunk back into the river I'm drifting in. Once it's all gone, I take a deep breath; the air here, though not as bad as the water, feels thick with something I can't name.

On either side of the river, craggy slime-coated rocks tower over me and continue on downward, making a sort of valley. The water -- high enough to reach my collarbone -- crashes against them. Earlier, the sky was dark and filled with stars earlier; now, it's taken on a puke-green color. Bursts of red and blue light flash all across it, followed by thunder that sounds like someone firing a cannon. If I can't put a name to whatever's in the air, I can definitely put one to this place.

_Eden._

I turn back. The tentacle's right there, coiled up again. I could leave -- run to Mom and live with her inside my head for the rest of my life. But really, I could just jump off a cliff into the void and it'd be okay; any place is better than here.

Swallowing, I start toward it. In the sky, the lights flash again.

_What if there are huge monsters hiding underwater?_

I swim faster, glancing in every direction. The lights flash again.

_I don't want to die._

I reach my hand toward the tentacle. And the lights flash again.

_Please let me. . . ._

Stopping, I turn back around and face the sky. Another flash.

_Everything I do is meaning--wait a second!_

Another flash.

_I want. . . . These aren't my thoughts! Well, kind of, anyway._

The lights keep flashing, and I can't help but shake my head and laugh at them. The thoughts keep coming, but I don't even flinch. Before, when I was in the real world, I didn't have a way of beating stuff like this. Now, in my mind, I can do exactly that. So, raising my bat, I charge forward through Eden's thick atmosphere.

Farther ahead, the path bend. And from some place beyond it, I hear a terrifying roar. It's even louder than the thunder, making the rocks shake and echoing throughout the valley. And I freeze as a green, snake-like monster wriggles its way into view.

_The Kraken._

Its head turns in my direction. Even though the Kraken doesn't have any visible eyes, I still feel like it's looking at me the way I look at steak. And I shudder.

The Kraken roars again, raising its bloodsoaked fangs high into the air. A moment later, it ducks into the water and rushes toward me.

_Let's find out if you're any stronger._

Concentrating, I shoot myself out of the water with a burst of psychic power. The Kraken snarls, looks up, and spits out a stream of fire at my direction. Falling back down, I drift past it. And, concentrating again, I raise my bat over my head and _smaaaash_ it against the creature's, sending sparks of PSI flying everywhere.

The Kraken screeches and starts wobbling back and forth. I land in front of it and swim out of the way. The monster leans in my direction, casting its shadow over me, before collapsing against the wall on the other side.

Bat still raised, I wade toward it. The Kraken lifts its head slightly, facing me. It opens its mouth again, crying out. Loud at first, but then softer, and softer, until I can't even hear the sound. Its head falls back into the water, and the next moment, the creature fades away.

In the sky, the lights flash again, brighter this time.

_How many more things do I have to kill?_

I pinch my forehead.

_No, don't think like that. I have to fight. No matter what._

Sighing, I push forward, swimming around the corner. Ahead, stalagmites poke out of the water, each one made of many different colors and reflecting the lights above. Behind them stands another rocky wall, which splits the path into a fork. One -- the right path -- is slightly bigger than the other, but otherwise, they don't look any different

After the Kraken, if either choice takes me to another monster, I don't think I'll be in any real danger. But if I do have to fight again, it'd be nice to have a little more room. So, I head right.

The wall keeps curving the farther I go, and the river grows into a gigantic lake. And eventually, as I follow the wall, I wind up back at the start of the fork.

_Great. My friends are waiting for me to wake up and I just spent the past minute swimming in a circle._

I turn around. In the distance lies another left-leading path, as clear as day.

_How did I not notice that?_

Groaning, I start toward it.

\---

By the time I reach the start of the path, my arms and legs feel like they're about to fall off. I slump against the wall, panting.

And a Kraken roars.

I straighten myself, look up, and scream. Farther down the path, two of them are charging right at me.

Once again, I shoot myself out of the water. And I stop right the path of a fireball. It hits, covering me in flames, and I go flying backwards, screaming. It feels like thousands and thousands of tiny animals are eating me alive.

I end up slamming into the rocky island. A second later, I fall and land facefirst in the water. The flames disappear, but the feeling's still there. And I hear water splashing, coming closer and closer.

I grit my teeth and pull myself up. The Krakens are seconds away, their mouths wide open. Dropping the bat, I push my fingers against my temples and concentrate.

_PK Rockin'!_

Swirls and shapes bigger than the Krakens' heads appear, circling around them, humming and whirring like high-pitched computers. The energy glows, covering the lake in red, yellow, and blue light that almost hurts to look at.

I shut my eyes. The image is still clear in my mind; the Krakens have stopped, snapping at the shapes like dogs. And in my mind, I picture all the energy converging on them.

An explosion fills the air, forcing me to cover my ears. I can still hear the Krakens, screaming and roaring in pain. A wave of water washes over me, dragging me under for a moment. When I resurface, the roars and screams have stopped. So I relax, drop my hands, and open my eyes.

The Krakens are gone, and in their place is a rippling and waving section of water. Electricity from the attack crackles in the air, and the explosion echoes throughout Eden.

My head tingles a bit. The lights flash again, this time as bright as Rockin'.

_Your conscience is strong._

At the end of the path, something starts to glow, casting rays of gold all across the water. Taking a breath, I swim toward it.

\-------

At the end of the path, I can't do anything but stare at the source of the glow: the Mani Mani statue. It stands on an island just big enough for two people, surrounded by stalagmites. The rest of the lake is empty.

Gripping my bat, I wade toward the island. The lights in the sky keep flashing, faster and faster. The rest of the lake is empty.

I climb onto the island. A small staircase leads up to the Mani Mani. It stares down at me; somehow, it seems taller than everything else I've seen, even though it's not true.

A moment later, I'm standing in front of the statue. And its mouth starts moving.

"I am the evil part of your mind," it says in my voice. "I am the pleasure you feel when you kill, the rush you experience when you steal, the misery you suffer when the bitter past and uncertain future calls to you."

I smile. "You sound just like me."

"I speak in your voice, for we are the same being."

I shake my head. "You're just a bunch of feelings I've stuffed in the back of my mind. You're nothing. And I'm gonna beat you 'til you're less than nothing."

"You are a fool. You can't beat me."

The statue points its knife up into the air. In the sky, the lights flash from red, to yellow, and to blue with hardly a second between them. A humming and whirring sound fills the air from all sides.

"Because you are the one who forced me into being."

Shouting, I swing my bat, just as the statue swipes its knife.

And the world explodes in a flash of light.


End file.
